Oregon Crime Victims' Rights in Sexual Assault Cases

Restitution for Victims of Sexual Assault
Guide to the restitution process for victims of sexual assault in Oregon.

Time-Line for Victims of Sexual Assault in Oregon:

• Immediately upon the victim’s request – A hospital that is providing care to a female sexual-assault victim must provide the victim with emergency contraception if she requests it and if it is not medically contraindicated. The hospital may charge for this required service. 
• Within 72 hours of a sexual assault – The victim must report the assault to law enforcement to potentially be eligible for crime victims’ compensation program benefits (See “Within 12 months,” below). The program may waive this time limit for “good cause.”

• Within 84 hours of a sexual assault – the Sexual Assault Victims’ Emergency Medical Response Fund (SAVE) will provide a no-cost complete medical assessment, including the collection of forensic evidence, for an adult or child sex-crime victim who is seen at a hospital or a clinic in Oregon.
• Within 7 days of a sexual assault – When SAVE will provide a no-cost partial medical assessment, not including the collection of forensic evidence, for an adult or child sex-crime victim who is seen at a hospital or clinic in Oregon. 
• Within 90 days of a sexual assault –  The victim must give their landlord 14 days’ notice of intent to terminate his or her rental agreement pursuant to ORS 90.453. 

• Within 12 months of a sexual assault – The victim must apply for state crime victims’ compensation. The program may waive this time limit for “good cause.” 

• Prior to the offender being sentenced in state court – The victim generally must have submitted a claim for restitution prior to the offender being sentenced. Additional information is available from the district attorney’s office that is prosecuting the case. If the offender is being prosecuted in federal court, information about compensation or restitution is available at the U.S. Attorney’s Office's website, or by contacting the office by telephone at (503) 727-1000 or e-mail.
• As soon as the victim, or their survivor, recognizes that they have economic damages and/or non-economic damages for which they may want to sue the offender and/or, in certain circumstances, a third party, such as the owner of the property where the assault took place. Economic damages include costs like medical bills; non-economic damages include things like pain and suffering.
• At any time during a criminal or juvenile delinquency proceeding – Each Oregon district attorney’s office has a victims’-assistance program that can provide victims and survivors with local information regarding services. A list of these county-based victims’-assistance programs is available at Oregon Department of Justice's website. 
• At any time – Each county has access to non-profit victims’ services for sexual-assault victims. A map to program information can be found online at the Sexual Assault Task Force's web site, along with other tools and resources for survivors, service providers and criminal justice partners. Additional information for sexual assault providers and services providers also can be found at the Oregon Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence’s web site.
• The Oregon Crime Victims Law Center also can direct victims, or their survivors, to social-support services, including those that victims may need to effectively participate in the cases against their offenders and/or to recover from having been victimized. Each Oregon district attorney's office also has a victims’-assistance program that can provide victims and survivors with local information regarding services.

Additional information available at:
Crime Victims’ Services Division (CVSD) 
Oregon Department of Justice
1162 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301-4096
Tel: (503) 378-5348
website